Is Rimuru Tempest Too OP?
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime is an isekai anime with an OP main character. However, is Rimuru Tempest too OP? Rimuru is OP enough to still enjoy the series. This is because Rimuru is such a likeable and fun character and the series emphasizes Rimuru’s journey as he builds a nation. This makes for a good watch.
Rather than just being a generic isekai with an OP main character with a bland personality, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime really does a good of focusing on the relationship between the various species and groups in it’s world. Rimuru manages to develop great relationships with others instead of always relying on violence to resolve everything.
As a matter fact, one of the appealing aspects of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is seeing Rimuru gain power in order to help those around him and eventually build a nation.
Sword Art Online Alicization is another popular isekai anime that dropped this year with another OP character. However, Kirito has more of a bland personality and he gradually becomes stronger in the Alicization Arc.
Click HERE to read more about Kirito in Sword Art Online Alicization.
Where That Time I Got Reincarnated as Slime differs is that Rimuru is OP from the start, but he is also very carefree and offers great comedic commentary, which makes it easier to root for him.
Near the end of the series, you see and hear of characters that are much stronger than Rimuru and you get a sense that Rimuru getting power so quickly is a build up for something bigger (season 2 comes out in 2020).
To see other isekai anime with an OP main character, click HERE.
Why is Rimuru So Strong?
Why is Rimuru so strong? How is he able to increase his power so quickly? How does his powers work? First off, Rimuru was reincarnated as a slime. Slimes are usually recognized as one of the weakest creatures but hes possesses abilities that help him drastically increase his strength.
Because he is a slime, Rimuru has a possibly infinite storage of what he eats and he can reproduce it as long as he has the resources in storage. He uses this ability mostly to store potions that help heal him and his allies.
Another reason why Rimuru is so strong is because of “Great Sage”. Great Sage is an entity that exists inside Rimuru. It has the voice of a female and acts as a guide for him when he is in battle. Great Sage is also useful for gauging the strength of enemies and analyzing the objects and contents that Rimuru consumes.
The biggest reason why Rimuru is so strong is because of his unique skill called predator. Predator allows Rimuru to eat almost anything and obtain the skills or properties of whatever he consumes. He is even able to consume monsters and humans. As a result, he gains all their abilities and skills. Throughout the series, he absorbs relatively weak creatures such as direwolves and spiders, to strong beings such as the Orc Lord, the fire spirit Ifrit, and even humans. He is also able to gain the memories of those he absorbs.
Rimuru was immediately granted great power after being named by Veldora, the storm dragon and absorbing him. After this event, weaker monsters such as the goblins are able to feel his strong aura and notice his immense strength.
Rimuru becomes so strong and OP that he is able to defeat some of the strongest of monsters without resistance. This would get boring and tiring very fast since there is not tension. However, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime is able to minimize this by making Rimuru a fun personality.
Rimuru is a Likeable Character
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime aims for a more comedic and light-hearted tone in a genre that is typically serious. Despite being very OP, Rimuru’s witty conversations and small talks he engages with others often makes his fights more entertaining. He is kind, witty, and laidback, which makes him very likeable.
When Rimuru takes small jabs at his weaker opponents, it provides great comic relief. He doesn’t come off as arrogant and full of himself. He usually doesn’t take himself too seriously unless he feels needs to protect his allies or his village.
He usually doesn’t take the initiative as a leader unless the situation is so dire that he needs to step up and assume responsibility. As Rimuru becomes more respected by other races and kingdoms, he is forced with much greater responsibility, especially when it comes to dealing with monsters or calamities that disturb the peace. Despite this, he doesn’t shy or hide from any of his duties and takes full responsibilities for his actions.
Rimuru is non-confrontational and when he is in battle, he is very composed. Furthermore, he is good at devising solutions to problems, whether it be on the battlefield or diplomatically. He tries to avoid conflict and tries his best to avoid killing others. For example, when he first encountered the ogres, he went through great lengths to show the difference in strength by using flashy moves as a means of intimidation in order to avoid an unnecessary battle. He often empowers his subordinates and they are extremely loyal to him.
Rimuru’s personality is what makes the series so fun and it’s the biggest highlight.
Rimuru is Able to Build A Nation
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime is ultimately about the friendships and bonds that Rimuru makes with other beings that he encounters on this journey.
When Veldora, the storm dragon was sealed by a powerful hero for 300 years, his disappearance caused a battle for power between the orcs, lizardmen, ogres, and other races. In other words, Veldora’s presence kept order in Jura Forest. His absence created a power vacuum with all types of monsters vying for power. Rimuru emerged as the candidate that would create order.
Rimuru understands that every race is different. They all have their own cultures and their own ways of doing things. He eventually becomes a bridge to everyone and it allows the inhabitants of Jura Forest the ability to peacefully live together.
Thanks to Rimuru’s abilities, he manages to make alliances with the most unlikely races. However, it’s Rimuru’s leadership that stands out. Rimuru usually shows off his power or proves himself through action. People notice his strength and pure intentions. As a result, they are able to put aside their previous grudges and serve under him.
Rimuru has a good heart and wants to help those around him. When he meets Shizue, he eventually wants to help her confront the Demon Lord Leon Cromwell. However, she is unable to fulfill that goal and so Rimuru is now the vessel for her goal.
Rimuru’s most notable achievement was building a village of various races and establishing order in Jura Forest. After he defeats his enemies, he gives them an opportunity for redemption and gives them a purpose. For example, after he defeats the Orc Lord, he devours him and takes on all his sins. This means rather than punish the orcs for disturbing the peace, he offers them resources to help with the famine they were dealing with and gives them an opportunity to work via physical labor. The orcs are moved by this and they decide to serve him.
Rimuru wants all races to mutually coexist. He gives races names (which makes them stronger and causes them to evolve) and gives them positions and allows them to contribute to society. He is very diplomatic and forgiving as he allows Gabiru and Vesta to join him despite past issues. He eventually forms the Jura Tempest Federation and is officially recognize as a nation that is able to trade with other countries.
Despite the fact that Rimuru is OP, the series is still enjoyable because it places a special emphasis on the evolution of civilization, which is refreshing for an isekai anime. Over the course of the story, we see more and more races join the village as it grows into a larger town. We get to see the establishment of culture and diplomacy with other nations, the progression of science and infrastructure, and the negotiations of a multi-species society with the rest of the world. Essentially, a small tribe becomes a village, then a town, then a city, then a nation and finally a federation.
Conclusion
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime is a story that explores the relationships between people and shows how they can come together. It introduces the idea that people can connect with each other, build bridges through conversation rather than violence.
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime is a less serious take on both fantasy and isekai. It’s able to maintain a light-hearted tone without completely abandoning the plot, and its efforts at world-building are good.
Even if Rimuru may be overpowered, it’s still an enjoyable series mainly because of Rimuru’s personality and it’s focus on relationships and the journey. Rimuru’s cheerful and smart outlook on the world makes for a good watch.
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One thought on “Is Rimuru Tempest Too OP?”
Thats pretty accurate and I agree but only to a certain degree because youre only referring to season 1. In the upcoming season 2 and in the light novels (if you havent read them) hes going to get even more OP. I have to call out Fuse’s writing on it. As the main character, Rimuru is expected to get a lot of plot armor but it becomes ridiculous as the story progresses. A certain skill of his evolves to the point that its practically a super computer that does most of the work for him when he has to fight and every fight hes personally involved in has no consequences such as when he had to sacrifice a skill in order to win a fight, said certain skill does an asspull move that made the sacrifice look like nothing.
Yes there are proper reasons for Rimuru’s powers but its clear that Fuse made things easy for Rimuru from the start. He gets reincarnated with a few OP skills and got reborn inside Veldora’s cave thats inaccessible from the outside except via magic. The inside is full of high quality herbs and ore ripe for the taking and then Veldora gives him more power while allowing Rimuru to tap into his own energy. In the fight against the Orc Lord, Rimuru doesnt struggle and the Great Sage even makes his body fight on auto pilot. Even for building his nation everything goes a little too smoothly to the point that another character who got reincarnated from Japan calls Rimuru out on how easy he makes things look while others had it rough. And its mostly because of the Great Sage that hes able to recreate Earth’s more advanced technology and since no one else has that skill other nations will always be technologically behind tempest.